Downpour is not an obstacle

Tuesday November 2, 2010

Disabled community brave heavy rain to attend event

By STUART MICHAEL
metro@thestar.com.my

IT might have been a late Hari Raya gathering for some and for others, an early Deepavali celebration.

Thank you: Francis (in wheelchair) receiving donation from an association.

Whatever the case, it was certainly an eagerly awaited moment for hundreds of disabled people who braved a downpour recently and made it to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple Devasthanam in Batu Caves, Selangor.

The occasion? A one-of-a-kind DeepaRaya get-together for the disabled community.

The three-hour event was jointly organised by the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang, Selangor and the Mariamman Temple management board.

Let’s shake it: The children of the disabled performing a dance at the event.

The temple hall, where the gathering was held, started filling up quickly from 7pm.

Petpositive president Anthony Thanasayan was also present at the event.

Never an obstacle: Two performers in wheelchairs dancing to a song.

Within an hour, the hall became so crowded, the organisers had to create an al fresco sitting and dining area for the others guests outside the hall.

ILTC president Francis Siva said that he was happy to see many of the disabled members from the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur attend the event despite the bad weather.

“This is the first time we have done something like this with the Batu Caves temple authorities.

He said the temple authorities were so surprised by the turnout, that they were already thinking of having a similar event next year.

As many as 10 companies came forward to sponsor the DeepaRaya event. The main sponsor was Sports Toto Malaysia with McDonald’s Malaysia donating 300 burgers.

Welfare, Women’s Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Rodziah Ismail came up with the second biggest financial assistance.

Performances were by the disabled who presented wheelchair dances.

Children of the disabled also joined in the performance and did their part in entertaining the crowd.